


Astraphobia

by TheGreatWave74



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28658145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatWave74/pseuds/TheGreatWave74
Summary: Akane has been afraid of storms since she was a child. Luckily, a certain nurse is there to comfort her.
Relationships: Owari Akane & Tsumiki Mikan, Owari Akane/Tsumiki Mikan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Astraphobia

* * *

A sharp, high-pitched scream forced a sleeping Mikan to jolt wide-awake in her bed, sending her covers sprawling down onto her lap as she looked feverishly across her room for the source of the noise.

In an instant, her eyes widened considerably when she quickly found the guilty party, who was currently curled up into a submissive fetal position next to her. 

Akane, the wild, energetic, food-loving gymnast, was trembling immensely for some unknown, with her knees and arms tightly clutched to her chest in a desperate attempt to shield herself from... something. What left Mikan truly astonished, though, was that, although faint, she could make out the tiny, heart-wrenching sounds of her girlfriend whimpering like a scared child. That in itself was very,  _ very _ wrong.

"A-Akane…?" The nurse cautiously extended a gentle hand towards her beloved's quivering shoulders. "Are you… okay?"

The instant her fingers brushed against Akane's skin, the tanned girl let out an almost instinctive cry of pain. Mikan backed off the second it happened, but after a few moments, she decided to make a second attempt.

"Akane… Akane, please… I-It's just me, Mikan." This time, the gymnast did not flinch at her touch. Instead, her head craned to the right to look at the seriously concerned Mikan, and when their gazes met in the darkness, the nurse was rendered nearly speechless yet again.

She could make out the thin line of tears streaming down her cheeks in the surrounding darkness, along with the hopelessly scared, helpless glint in her brown eyes. There wasn't a single ounce of the fiery confidence that she normally radiated all the time. Right now, she looked just like any other person who had been scared out of their wits.

She looked... vulnerable.

"M-Mikan…" Akane spoke with raspy, shallow breaths. She proceeded to quickly wipe some of the wetness from her eyes, hoping to mask her overwhelming feeling of despair, but it only somewhat worked as new tears continued to replace those she brushed away. Even then, however, Mikan didn't look very convinced. "I'm sorry, d-did I scare ya?"

Mikan nodded slightly. "A little bit, but… I'm more worried about you. I-is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah. There's nothin' wro--"

***KRAKOOOOOOOM!***

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" 

A sudden flash of lightning struck just outside the dorms, sending violent rumbles through the air. Akane's voice rose several octanes as she screamed once more, with her hands moving to cradle her own head as she whimpered in obvious fear. Mikan had to cover her poor ears this time. Not because of the lightning, but because of the absolutely terrified Akane screeching loudly next to her.

Mikan saw the bright flash and heard the intense crashing of thunder in the distance, but the storm hardly bothered her. In fact, the purple-haired girl enjoyed listening to the rain, finding the frantic pitter-pattering of raindrops against the window to be very soothing.

But clearly, that was not the case with the now trembling Akane. It didn't take much for Mikan to deduce that the gymnast had a great fear of storms, more specifically, a fear of the thunder and lightning that came with them. 

But she didn't know  _ why _ her girlfriend reacted this way.

"Do you… not like storms?" She softly asked, not wanting to startle the tanned girl any further.

There was a moment of silence between the pair as Akane looked away from her concerned gaze, ashamed at being afraid of something so childish. The only noise in the room other than the rain was that of the gymnast's fragile sobs, which filled Mikan with a sense of morbid dread.

"Akane… Y-you can tell me if you're scared. I-I won't feel any different about you if you do." Mikan pleaded. "Please… At least let me help somehow. It's the least I can do for you."

When Akane still didn't answer, the shy nurse took it as a sign that she didn't want any help. Greatly discourage by this, she proceeded to slowly pull the covers back up to her shoulders, both for herself and Akane, and was about to close her eyes when suddenly-

"…I don't like the rain." The gymnast spoke up, shuffling slightly under the bedsheets.

"H-Huh?"

"I don't like the rain." She quietly repeated, her voice slightly muffled from the covers on top of her.

Mikan took a moment to register this. "D-do you… want to tell me why?"

The nurse could practically  _ feel _ Akane's hesitation, but after a few more seconds, the older girl relented at last.

"…My old home was always leakin' with water." Akane finally confessed, though she continued to look away. "I couldn't sleep at all 'cause of all the rain that'd hit me no matter what I tried. I was cold, and wet, and icky, and… and I hated when lightnin' was involved." Akane paused for a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "I saw lotsa things gettin' hit by lightnin' when it rained, including people, and… I always thought that… that I'd… be next…"

Akane's tone was grim and shaky. It almost sounded like she was reliving her memories as she spoke. It was a far cry compared to the brash, energetic voice she always used in front of others.

"D-Dammit… I don't get it…" Her sniffling grew louder as the rain continued to fall. "I'm supposed to be strong… I'm supposed to keep protectin' my family… so why am I afraid of something so… so… stupid…?"

***KRAKOOOOOOOM!***

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Another bolt erupted through the nighttime skies, prompting another ear-splitting scream from Akane. 

Mikan felt her heart sink as she watched the tanned athlete cowering beneath the covers like a frightened child. She just couldn't tear her eyes away from the unbelievable sight taking place before her. Akane was no longer the strong, brave, stubborn person she had come to know and love. 

In this moment, she was simply a frightened girl suffering from her awful past.

Mikan couldn't bear to see Akane like this. 

She couldn't stand watching her beloved break down into a mess of tears. 

Akane had done so much for the nurse in the time they've been classmates. She fought off her bullies. She brought her food even if she wasn't hungry. She protected her from the harshness of the world when nobody else would. Akane had done what nobody else had wanted to do, and Mikan loved her for it. She loved the gymnast more than anything or anyone else on the planet.

So just once, even for a little bit, Mikan wanted to be the one protecting her instead of it being the other way around. She believed that she owed Akane that much.

Though unsure of what exactly to do, a certain idea was slowly forming inside the nurse's mind, and, seeing as how anything else she could come up with right now sounded pointless, she acted on that impulse.

"U-um, Akane… could you… could you turn around, please? Just for a moment?" Mikan softly uttered. 

There came a soft grumble of reluctance from Akane as she continued sobbing, but the gymnast soon wordlessly shifted onto her other side. Their eyes locked together once again. This time, Akane didn't bother to wipe her tears away. She already knew that she hadn't fooled Mikan the first time, so it seemed pointless to hide her sadness any longer.

Mikan gasped slightly as she once again took in her terrified expression, at the tears streaming down her cheeks, but remained firm as she prepared herself for what she was about to do.

With slow, careful movements, the nurse threw a protective arm across the gymnast's torso while slipping her other arm underneath her back, right where Akane's forearm was wedged into the mattress. Once she got a reasonably firm grip, she pulled Akane as close as possible, putting both girls into a soft embrace beneath the covers. 

The athlete let out a surprised gasp as her head came to be pressed up against Mikan's ample chest. Her whole body remained stiff as a board, but she made no effort to dislodge herself whatsoever.

And then, Mikan spoke.

"Um… I-I know that you're scared, and… probably don't want to talk about it anymore, but I… I-I want you to know that… I'm here for you, okay?” She whispered. “You don't have to be scared of the rain or thunder, because… I… I-I'll keep you safe from it, Akane. I'll protect you… like you always do for me. So… don't worry about being afraid of the rain. I'll always be there for you when you need me. I… I promise."

Mikan stopped to catch her breath. She had no idea whether or not she said the right things due to her lack of social skills. The timid girl was pretty much making her speech up as she went along, but somehow, she had gotten the words out.

Akane had yet to fully react as she looked up at the shy girl cradling her at this moment, but it was clear that the nurse's loving reassurance had affected her. And right at that very moment…

***KRAKOOOOOOOM!***

…Lightning struck outside once more. Akane instinctively panicked as she prepared to scream again, but before she could, Mikan took swift action and hugged her beloved a bit tighter while tangling their legs together. The nurse practically draped her whole body over Akane's as if to shield her from the storm.

Even so, Akane still let out a shrill scream, This time, however, her shriek was a bit softer, and Mikan didn’t have to plug her ears to block out the noise. Not that she  _ could _ have plugged them, considering the position she was in. Instead, the nurse proceeded to place a gentle hand to the back of Akane’s head, to which she then started to stroke her fingers through the tanned girl’s thick mane of brown hair in a comforting manner, like a mother would do for her child.

Several equally loud discharges boomed and crashed in the aftermath of the lightning strike, and the athlete let out a frightened cry for each one. But these outbursts quickly dwindled in strength with each successive wave. By the time they finally stopped, Akane’s cries were soft, no louder than a whisper, and Mikan felt incredibly relieved by this fact.

She could hear the brunette’s breathing starting to stabilize, and soon, Mikan felt Akane’s body slowly relax in her caring hold. The gymnast went on to nuzzle further into her chest, which Mikan didn't mind in the slightest. 

In fact, she readily welcomed it.

“Are you feeling better?” Mikan softly asked. In place of a verbal response, she felt Akane lightly nod her head. “I see… T-that’s good.” She continued to lightly pet her unruly hair, not once considering letting her girlfriend go. “Don’t worry, Akane. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Just leave this to me, okay?”

Mikan shyly smiled down at the pacified gymnast. She felt so useful, so loved, in this moment they shared, and no matter how selfish it was, Mikan wanted to keep it this way. If only for a bit longer.

To her shock, however, Akane had one last surprise in store.

Mikan let out an “Eep!” when Akane’s strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, with Akane going on to press herself fully against the nurse’s soft figure. She reflexively started to feel anxious and jittery, but these sensations all died down when the girl in her arms started to speak again.

Akane’s voice was slightly muffled by the nurse’s breasts, but Mikan could still make out the words she was trying to say.

"…Thank you.” She heard Akane mumble.

That was all the appreciation the gymnast could muster, however, because in the next moment, Mikan felt Akane’s whole body go completely limp against her own. While understandably afraid that something bad happened, a quick glance down revealed that Akane had simply fallen back asleep, as evidenced by the slight, rhythmic heaving of her chest. She no doubt exhausted herself from all the crying, but now that she had let all her emotions out, there was nothing to keep her awake any longer.

Seeing this, Mikan couldn’t help but giggle softly. It felt nice, being the one to comfort someone else instead of it being the other way around even if her motivation might have been a bit selfish.

But then again, everyone was allowed to be selfish once in a while.

She nonetheless continued to watch over Akane though the storm, stroking her long hair and whispering sweet nothings whenever lightning struck, until finally, her own eyelids at last fluttered shut once more, and she vanished back into her dreams alongside her beloved.

But even then, Mikan continued to protect Akane, as she always would now whenever it rained.


End file.
